The design of magic and various powersets in the MCU has seen many different iterations throughout Marvel Studios' vast library of projects. With how many designs the studio has to keep track of, the intent is always to make sure they feel unique and avoid stepping on each other's feet. This includes Doctor Strange's orange sorcery, Loki's green illusions, and the Scarlet Witch's red chaos.
These concepts go through several different designs before they are nailed down for good. Even most recently, the runes introduced in WandaVision had to be adjusted because they started to resemble the Wakandan language established in prior movies.
The most iconic of all these powersets is almost undoubtedly that of the former Sorcerer Supreme and his fellow mystical allies. The sparkling orange runic visuals are instantly recognizable.
Well now, a spell seen cast by Benedict Cumberbatch's character in the recent Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness footage has been changed to entirely different color hues, moving away from that familiar orange hue.
Strange's Magic Spell Gets Altered
In the most recent trailer spot for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a new VFX change can be seen in what could be a pivotal moment within the movie.
The moment in question is when Defender Strange is addressing America Chavez while casting a spell with his left hand. Originally, the incantation was orange and in a geometric shape.
With the new footage, the shape remains the same, but the colors are a more radiant pearl and seems to be encapsulating an impending force in the background.
The full spot can be watched below, with the change seen at the :04 mark:
The Everchanging Trailer VFX
Evolving VFX in trailers is no new habit. Most recently, Spider-Man: No Way Home had several changes before the project was released. One of the biggest examples of this was the drastic altering of the environment around Strange and Spider-Man as they traversed through the Grand Canyon in the Mirror Dimension
Maybe the shift to white was to quickly differentiate for audiences how this is a Variant Stephen Strange, one who is in a completely different reality.
There's also a chance that this isn't an actual change of what was seen in the original Super Bowl TV spot. Instead, it could simply be the next step of the spell at a later point in the scene—even if only seconds afterward.
The work that goes into the VFX of these Marvel Studios projects is nothing short of insane. Even the ones that end up looking bad are the product of entire teams moving mountains to make something work the best they can under the circumstances.
Touch-ups are being applied right up until the project's release date. Whether this is in the form of simple lighting changes, or adding an entire character into a post-credits scene. So, while changes like this are absolutely nothing to worry about, they can certainly be fun for fans to watch evolve into their final forms.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6.
